Leiden University

Profile

Founded in 1575, Leiden University is the oldest university in the netherlands and is one of Europe's foremost research universities. It offers 49 bachelor's programmes and 95 master's programmes in seven faculties: Archaeology, Humanities, Medicine, Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences and Science. Only a limited range of programmes are taught through English. Its Liberal Arts & Sciences programme is taught through Leiden University College at the Hague.

Leiden has traditionally been known for the strongly academic content of its teaching programmes. This also applies to the bachelor's stage, where the emphasis is on learning academic skills. One of the key skills taught in Leiden is the ability to carry out independent research; all students are therefore required to carry out a research project to complete the bachelor's programme. Leiden University's philosophy is that a full academic training consists of a bachelor's and a master's programme. All students who have completed a bachelor's programme in Leiden are therefore eligible to proceed directly to at least one Leiden master's programme.